Collapsible seat attachment



Aug. 15, 1950 H. w. zlLLlcs 2,518,971

COLLAPSIBLE SEAT ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 18, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l f4 INVENTOR ,5 Hom/@QD W. Z/LL/e ORNEY` Aug l5, 1950 H. w. zlLLlG 2,518,971

COLLAPSIBLE SEAT ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HOWARD Z/LL/ G y VZW/SMQ@ ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 15, 1950 UNTD oFeieE 2,518,9i- GLLPSIBDE Ster TTCHMEN? i *wird 'Ziilie Newbeghtfs.

ongewenste? leen' gaines. eii the seats ef few' boats `and other vided with back rests.l

Y Attaehmeiits ef this general character' `have neetofeie been suggested lamitiee object of the present entiei'i iste pieduc'e aiiigiily superior A'fttile one which heeel-lapsed into miniyumili dimensions emireediiy set up'` fer use on any aiiiro'priate' seat with ease and" dexterity.

4'rue Yinteiitieii einteeiiesiiuiiieeiis' iievei feewiiieri win be ,hefeiiief'teii incre fui-1y aesibed; but. generallyv` stated, it consists essentieni? f side here adapted te lie sat uiii a cette 'ef pittiik'iii pereiiei fei'etieii trieste een tHeiefItingf provided et' tu ii" forward ends witriiieeks te Heek overtiie sfror'it ene ofthe seat ;trid et trieiifiee-r eine with' upiigggiitside Stiles ed 'actif-t Vby diagdfrial braces arranged -bei1 there.` 'The inclination of the side Stiles tf tiie beek, witiiwreep'eet te the sieefeeis, is `inain-ttined while the jdevice is in usd-"by ai'proffqriate` gussetliiiks or chains which rnaybeeit er niied or of'variable length; to allow of 4varying thef'inclination of the i back to "theA nos'ti cernff table'positionvfor't e individualuse'lj. i,

i redete of temente he: iat .Tjee eiliiet ,li adapted ,150 b .5-@ted QYGQY 1190.11 theieeaid or plank te whit-'ii the device isg ieyrnovably attached, but an appropriate baci:1l nierig dlolefrjf canvas maybe stretchedbetvveeri the Yside YStiles of the backifso desired.

.' Ile accompanying dravvings".illustratedifferient' racticalembodirnents ofthe invvitionfbit ltlieconstructions therein shown are te be undef- 4stocl. as illustrative, only,A .andr not .afsfdening :the limits of the invention. j g Figure l is a perspective'vievv showing the fered form o'f the present `irn'zeiitin (associated `irvitli seat shown in pli-antoin. I

Figure' 2 is a detail vivv sliiiii ifetatamy asseeitttiiig with eiiewiiotiier tiie c'ss braces of thebaclishown in `nember of the assembly;beingl'rernogedinthe interests of Y clearness. J'Ilfiev showingpf Figure I2 i irl-,ffee ,e elan View 0fV ihetstrueture-.ef-Fie.-

ure 3 with the topcir'cular plate ,and the holt.n

removed. y y

Figure 3 is a section on the line l3--3 ofl'fi- ,ulilzi :Figure .24 Y a frag,mental.` perspective .showing one-015; the side st ilcs in the back with, ,aft-.diierent .forni of attachment between the lower end of the braces and the side stile.

Figure 5`is 'a section on the line '5l-'5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is ure 5.

Figure 'l is a frgmental perspective showing substantially one-'half of a modified form of this invention enbodying arin rests and a somewhat different form of back bracing, with chain'braces between the side stiles of the back and the side bars o'f the seat portion.

Figure 8 is a fragrliehtal perspective detail showing the manner in which the chain illustated -i Fig. '7 may be adjusted as to length t0 vary the inclination of the back.

Figure '.9 is a section on the line 9-"-9 of Figure 7'.'`

Referring 'first to Figures 1-33 inclusive,r the reference character' S indicates the seat of a row a 'Section n the lill'e 6-1-6 0f Figboat 'or the boardor plank f a stadium, bench or seat. The device of'thisinvention, as shown iii these' figures, embodies two side bars l which are of identical construction.v They may be of vvocid onietal, but are shown in this embodiment as of`woo'd. Attached to the front end of each f thesevbars I is a .hook 2, which may be `rotatably attached to vthe bar, but, in any event,

yis so .shaped as to hook over the front end of `theseat S; The rear end of each bar is pivotally .secure'dl as by means of a conventional hinge 3, ,to an upright vside stile fi; ,the side sti-les is controlled by gusset brace 5, here shown as 'comprising two links, the adja- ,cent ends 'ofwhich are provided with interfitting The inclination of eyes while the distant endsof the links .are passed ,through-.theside bars I and Stiles 4 and headed tovelso as to permit the links to pivotally move with respctto. the bars and stiles;

.Thelinks of, each pair are of diierentlength so that the side Stiles maybe folded do'wn' flat .against the 'side hars AI into neat and compact condition. The unequal lengthof these links ,bracesdw The up'per end of each brace is pro- Yvided .with-an eye 1 whichinterts with another ',eye.8 `fixedly. secured to one `of theside Stiles near the upperend ofthe latter. Thelower end o'i 3 each diagonal brace is provided with an eye 9 which embraces an upright guide rod I0, the upper and lower ends of which are anchored in the side stiles. The guides I permit the side stiles to be moved toward and away from one another to collapse or expand the back.

In order to maintain the side stiles at all times in parallel relation to one another, the diagonal braces 6 are offset to form arcuate portions II where they cross one another, as shown best in Figures 2 and 3l and each arcuate portion is housed within an annular channel I2 in one of two sections I3 and I4 of a circular tting. The

two sections of the fitting are locked together by means of a `bolt I5 and in the abutting faces of the ttirlg the annular channels I2 `are formed.

With a fitting of this kind, the two braces are Y adapted for rotary movement with respect to one another, but are secured against relative longitudinal shifting and thus serve to maintain the stiles in parallel relation at all times.

The article may be used as described, if desired, the occupant being seated upon the seat S between the side bars with his back resting against the cross braces. However, a piece of canvas or leather may be positioned to bridge the space between the side stiles of the back with its opposite ends tacked or otherwise secured to said side stiles. The device shown in Figure 3 is set up, as illustrated in Figure l, but when it is desired to transport the same, it may be folded into compact condition and carried in a relatively small neat case of leather, canvas or other suitable material or packed in a suit case.

The form of the invention shown in `Figures 4 to 6 inclusive is the same in all respects as that shown in Figures lf3, except that, instead of having the lower ends of the cross braces 6 slide on guides IG, as in Figure l, the structure of Figure 6 provides for a detachable locking of the lower end of each cross brace to the opposite side stile.

Thus, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, the inner edge of each side stile is provided with a notched plate I6 held in place byV screws I'I with the notch I8 extending toward the front edge of the plate. B'ack of the plate', the side stile is cham- `bered to form a passage I9 leading back from the .front face of the side stile to a point adjacent the base of the notch I8 and there the chamber extends downwardly to form a locking well 20. The lower end of each diagonal brace 6a, which corresponds to the brace 6, has a downturned end 2I forming a hook.

When the parts of this form of the invention are collapsed, the lower ends of the diagonal braces hang free. To lock it in expanded position, the side stiles are rst moved apart and each side stile is turned through 90 degrees to present the open -forward end of the passage I9 to the hook 2I, so that the hook 2I (shown in phantom in Figure 5) is opposite the open end of the passage. The hook may then be shifted into the passage until its lower end is directly above the well 2D. If the hook is then depressed into the well and the side stile thereupon returned to its normal position shown in Figure 6, the portion of the brace 6a immediately adjacent the hook will enter into the notch I8 of the plate I6 and this notch will keep the hook from lifting out of the well and lock the lower end of the brace 6a in this position, so long as the front face of the side stile faces in a forward direction. The

4 cross braces thus connected to their respective side stiles at their lower ends will lock the side stiles in spaced position while in use. To disengage the lower ends of the :braces from the side stiles, the operations described are reversed. An inturned lip 22 on the plate I6 reinforces the forward side of the well 2D.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 show a further modied form of the invention. Here the side bars 23, which correspond to the bars I, are shown as of angle iron. The hooks at the forward ends of these side bars are pivotally secured to the bars, as heretofore, but with provision for locking them in depending position. As shown, each hook 24 is provided with a shank 25, journalled for rotation in two blocks 26 and 21 rigid with each side bar. Between these blocks, each shank is provided with a xed collar 28 and a spring 29 is interposed between the xed collar 28 and the block 2l and normally tends to push the shank forwardly. The shank carries near its free end a pin 3 which is seated by the spring 29 in notches 3| formed in the rear face of the block 21 when the hook is in the position shown in Figure 7, to lock the hook in this position. By pressing rearwardly on the spring, the pin 3U may be disengaged from the notches 3I so that the hook may be swung through an angle of degrees and thus permit a more compact construction when collapsed.

The rear end of each bar 23 is pivoted to the lower end o-f the side stile 32, which corresponds to one of the side stiles 4, by means of a rivet or screw and the angle of inclination of the back may be controlled by means of chains 33, one of which is associated with each side of the device. The lower end of each chain is secured to the corresponding side bar whilethe upper portion of the chain is adapted to be hooked into a constrictedrnotch 34, formed in a plate 35 Icarried by the corresponding side stile as shown in Figure 8. The chain 33 may be hooked into this notch to engage selected links of the chain and thus vary the inclination of the back, to suit the occupant. The structure shown in Figure 7 is provided with arms, one of which'is indicated at 35. The rear end of each arm is pivotally secured to the corresponding side stile by means of a screw or rivet while the forward end of each arm is spaced abovethe corresponding side bar 23 by a spacing link 3l. Any of the structures of this invention may be provided with arm rests 36, as shown in Figure 7.

e VIn Figure 7, the side stiles of the back are spaced apart by diagonal braces 38 which may conveniently be made of plywood, sheet metal or any other suitable shape retaining material. The upper end of each brace 38 is pivoted to the upper end of the side stile by means of a rivet or screw 39, while the lower end carries a pin 4I) adapted totravel in an upright guide slot 4| in the corresponding side stile. In practice, the slot 4I is preferably formed in a metal plate secured to the side'stile and the pin 4I) is headed backvof such plate,.to be held in this position while permitting the pin to slide longitudinally of the slot, so that the structure may be collapsed,

The relatively broad braces 38 of Figure 7 are more comfortable than the narrow wires of Figures l and 4 and may be used either with or without leather, canvas or other covering as heretofore referred to in connection with Figure 1.

In all of the structures which I have described thus far Vthe side stiles of the back are of wood. If desired,rthese` side stiles may be of tubular agwlibeclearly understood. f

. in allof the structu of thisinventicnwhich l; have hereinbeiore described; the structure is as teprovide .for collapsingthereor into cohvenient, compact, carrying form. Nevertheless all of these structures may be readily extended into a condition for use and when set up in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 to provide a strong durable construction even when used by heavy persons. The structures may be made of wood or metal or part wood and part metal, or organic plastics may be used in their construction. In any event, the device of this invention will prove a great comfort to persons while fishing or while observing sporting events.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as commensurate with the appended claims.

Having fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A collapsible seat attachment comprising: side bars adapted to. rest upon and extend transversely of a seat which bars are provided at their forward ends with hooks tov hook over the front edge of the seat, side Vstiles pivoted to the real` ends of said bars, gusset braces for retaining said side stiles at the desired upright inclination, and a single diagonal brace connecting the upper portion of each side stile to a lower portion of the other side stile, the upper ends of said braces 'having ixed pivots and the lower ends of said braces being adjustably secured to the lower portions of said side stiles, whereby the sideV stiles may be moved toward and away from one another, said two single diagonal braces being the sole means for maintaining the side stiles in spaced apart parallel relation when the attachment is in use.

2. A collapsible seat attachment comprising:

side bars adapted to rest upon and extend transversely of a seat which bars are provided at their forward ends with hooks to hook over the front edge of the seat, side stiles pivoted to the rear ends of said bars, gusset braces for retaining said side stiles at the desired upright inclination, and diagonal braces connecting the upper portion of each side stile to a lower portion of the other side stile, the upper ends of said braces having xed pivots and the lower ends of said braces being adjustably secured to the lower portions of said side stiles for sliding movement longitudinally of the latter, each of said diagonal braces being provided intermediate its ends with an oiTset portion housed within a fitting section, said fitting sections being arranged in abutting relation to one another and bolted together for relative pivotal movement while holding said side stiles in spaced parallel relation.

3. A collapsible seat attachment comprising: side bars adapted to rest upon and extend transversely of a seat which bars are provided at their forward ends with hooks to hook over the front edge of the seat, side stiles pivoted to the rear ends of said bars, gusset braces for retaining said side stiles at the desired upright inclination, and a single diagonal brace connecting the upper portion of each side stile to a lower portion of the other side stile, the upper ends' of said braces. having `fixed pivots and the lower ends'of said braces being, detachably locked to .the lower por@ tions of the' side stiles: to maintain said' side stiles in spaced relation, said two single diagonal braces being pivotally secured toene another at their points of crossing, said two diagonal` braces. being the sole means for maintaining the side.

stiles in spaced apart parallel relation.

4. A collapsible sea-t attachment comprising: side bars adapted to rest upon and extend transversely of a seat which bars are provided at their forward ends with hooks to hook over the front edge of the seat, side stiles pivoted to the rear ends of said bars, gusset braces extending between intermediate portions of the side bars and intermediate portions of the side stiles for controlling the inclination of the side stiles with respect to the side bars, each gusset brace embodying a pair of pivoted links the contiguous ends of which are pivoted to one another at the elbow of the brace with the terminal end of one link permanently anchored by a xed pivot to one side .bar and the terminal end of the other link permanently anchored by a iixed pivot to one side stile, said links being of unequal length to permit of compact folding of the stiles and side bars into substantially face abutting relation while the terminal ends of said links remain pivotally anchored against longitudinal movement to both the side bar and said stile, and diagonal braces extending between the side stiles for maintaining them in substantially parallel relation.

5. A collapsible seat attachment comprising: side bars adapted to rest upon and extend transversely of a seat which bars are provided at their forward ends with hooks to hook over the front edge of the seat, side stiles pivoted to the rear ends of said bars, gusset braces extending between intermediate portions of the side bars and intermediate portions of the side stiles for controlling the inclination of the side stiles with respect to the side bars, each gusset brace embodying a chain one end of which is secured to one of the side bars and the other end portion of which is adapted to be adjustably engaged with a slotted plate carried by the corresponding side stile.

6. A collapsible seat attachment comprising: a back support including upright side stiles connected by a diagonal bracing, a seat side bar pivotally secured to the lower end of each side stile with a gusset brace between each side stile and side bar to hold said side stiles at the desired upright inclination, each side bar being provided at its forward end with a hook to hook over the front edge of a, seat, each hook being pivotally mounted on the side bar, and means to lock each hook against pivotalmovement, said means embodying a pin carried by the shank of each hook, and a spring embracing said shank and normally engaging the pin with a notch formed in the side bar, each spring being compressible to release the corresponding hook for pivotal movement.

'7. A collapsible seat attachment comprising: side bars adapted to rest upon a seat with hooks at their forward ends to engage the forward edge of the seat, and upright side stiles pivoted to the rear ends of said bars, in combination with diagonal braces extending between said side stiles and crossing one another intermediate their ends, said diagonal braces being pivoted to one another at their points of crossing with their upper ends secured by fiiie bivts to the REFERENCES CITED side stiles and their lower ends provided with Th f u hooks, each side stile having a locking chamber me oef tgvfgferens are of record in the engageable with the hook on one of the diagonal braces through rotation of the corresponding 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS side stile to detachably lock the hook end of Number Name Date said brace against inadvertent disengagement 720,034 Kerr Feb. 10, 1903 with said Stile. 855,770 Gymerv June 4, 1907 1,196,731 Clark Aug. 29, 1916 HOWARD W. ZILLIG- 10 1,293,778 Holm Feb. 11, 1919 

